Getting a Community College Scholarship

That’s what the faculty senate president at a community college in San Diego told me this morning when I bumped into him at the dog park.

He wasn’t talking about federal Pell Grants or other state or federal aid. He was referring to community college scholarship that benefactors have started at particular schools. Sometimes they are created by grateful graduates or community leaders or even teachers at a school. The faculty senate at his school, MiraCosta College, has been annually funding a handful of these community college scholarships. (MiraCosta is the only California school that made Washington Monthly’s list of the top 30 community collegesin the nation.)

At least in California, every community college should possess a thick binder that includes a description and requirements for each community college scholarship, which are often worth a few hundred dollars. Because they are often so few applicants, just filling out the paperwork can guarantee extra money for college. The professor I talked to this morning told me that he tells the students in his pre-law classes to apply for six scholarships for this particular major and he’s lucky to get six kids to apply for what ends up to be a sure thing.

If you will be attending a community college set up an appointment with a financial advisor at the school. Find out what federal and state aid you might qualify for and don’t forget to ask about these private scholarships.